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First sight: Volkswagen Passat (2015)

In recent years, European buyers have been switching their mid-size sedans and wagons for smaller cars, crossovers and SUVs. The Volkswagen Passat, Europe's most successful company car, has defined this market segment pretty much since it arrived back in 1973, and this latest, eighth-generation model has been designed to attempt to reverse that buying trend. When we catch up with design director Dr Klaus Bischoff at the car's unveiling, he's certainly confident that the new car represents a significant step forward.

Jaguar Land Rover Special Operations division launches

Cars like the Jaguar F-Type Project 7 (pictured) will come from JLR’s Special Operations If the creation of the Jaguar Land Rover Special Operations division to create bespoke, heritage, ultra luxury and high performance Jaguar, Land Rover and Range Rover cars doesn’t shout how positive JLR are about the future, nothing will. Jaguar call it “meeting the increasing expectations of today’s most discerning and enthusiastic car customers“, but what they really mean is that JLR have now got so much back on their game with cars like the new Jaguar F-Type, new Range Rover and new Range Rover Sport that they now have buyers with deep enough pockets to pay for just about anything, so that’s what JLR are going to do with the Special Operations division; give them anything they want – at a price That will mean car like the Jaguar Project 7 F-Type we saw at Goodwood last year being possible, ultra-luxury versions of the Range Rover and even the creation of heritage cars like the new Lightweight E-Types could become a regular occurrence. With a team of engineers and and designers led by Paul Newsome, recently recruited from Williams Advance Engineering, the plan is to create halo vehicles for both the Jaguar and Land Rover brands, and a team of 150 at a new Technical Centre near Gaydon will have a customer commissioning suite for bespoke and premium personalisation.

Jaguar F-Type Coupe caught on video at Nurburgring

The Jaguar F-Type Coupe (pictured) testing at the Nurburgring The new Jaguar F-Type is a fine looking car, but the F-Type Coupe looks set to be the real looker, and we shouldn’t have to wait too long before the coupe hits a motor show (probably Frankfurt in September). Ahead of that reveal – with a likely on-sale date of early 2014 – Jaguar are out playing with the F-Type Coupe at the Nurburgring, blatting it round the ‘Ring’s unforgiving surfaces and bends to shake the last niggles out before launch. This particular F-Type is undoubtedly the V8 S – which we expect will get the same 495bhp output as the V8 S Roadster – and it sounds great; a wonderful V8 roar as it pounds round the track.